Letters
by artemis floyd
Summary: A letter from a man to his son...he'll always be there, no matter what.


_A/N: Hello, all! This is just a quick little read…not a one-shot exactly, seeing as there's no sex (I can hear readers gasping…yes, I apparently _can _write something G-rated), but an idea that came to my mind earlier today and touched me._

_Funny, I never thought I'd write anything from this Harry Potter era, but I guess you can never be sure, huh?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series or any of its subsequent characters…if I did, I wouldn't be going to college. :D_

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**Letters**

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

A wand taps a battered old piece of parchment, and a boy of seventeen clutches it with two shaking hands like a lifeline, awaiting something with baited breath. His hair is disheveled and windblown, tinged with what looks some sort of moss, and his robes are practically hanging off of him due to his recent growth spurt. He is standing in the middle of a dimly lit room, squinting slightly at the paper in front of him, apparently waiting for something to happen to the item in his hands.

He starts suddenly, seeing that letters are gracefully emerging and unfurling in the middle of the page, spelling out a phrase:

"_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers, are proud to present THE MAURADERS MAP"_

The boy seats himself on the small bed by the window, his back straight, his eyes widening eagerly as he waits for what seems to be a map drawing itself out on the parchment. He grabs a quill sitting on the bedside table and starts tracing it absently along the parchment, apparently following one of the tiny moving dots on it. A small smile flashes across his features as the name "Victoire Weasley" passes under where his quill has stopped, but the moment passes as the boy seems to remember why he took the map out in the first place.

Placing the quill on the bed next to him, he picks up his wand and whispers, "I'd like to request an audience with Mr. Moony," and once again taps the map. It momentarily clears for a second, and then becomes filled with neat cursive. The boy's chocolate-brown eyes momentarily mist over upon seeing the handwriting, but he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and sets to reading what is written in front of him.

_Dear Son,_

_First off, your mother and I wanted to tell you how proud we are of your graduation from Hogwarts. Though we couldn't be there physically, we were there in spirit – you make us so proud, Teddy. Getting the most O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts in your class, being a prefect and Head Boy (but still managing to have a bit of fun…) – you truly do our memories well._

_I'm glad to hear that your godfather is doing fine – heading the Auror office is tough work, but if anyone is fit for the job, it's Harry (with Ron's help, of course). I always knew he could be an Auror, and am not surprised that he is turning that office into an unprecedented success. Anyway, has he said anything about getting an apprenticeship with him, or are you still thinking about teaching at Hogwarts? Your mother would be ecstatic if you decided to become an Auror, but you know how she is – always hoping you'll follow in her footsteps, and she always has, even before you were born! You truly are like her, you know, more than you may think…but I'm yet to decide whether or not that's a good thing – and you know I'm kidding, of course._

_Something I've been meaning to ask you, Teddy – what is going on between you and Miss Victoire Weasley? I do not mean to take an accusing tone with you; as your father, I'm just curious. She seems to be a wonderful girl, and your mother and I both think she would be great for you (not that we're trying to push you into marrying her…but you never know when it will be too late, son…). I know Harry approves of her; he's known her mother forever, not to mention her father's Harry's brother-in-law! Give it some thought, though. Dora and I just want to see you happy._

_Teddy, I am so very sorry that we cannot be with you now to help you make all of these big decisions. I hope you know that our passing was not in vain, and that we left this world trying to make it better for everyone – for _you – _to live in. We miss you so much, and know that it is far from fair that we all got to spend so little time together as a family…only a few short months, but you've grown up so well. We couldn't have asked for a better son, even if we could never be there to know you, but Andromeda and Harry and Ginny have raised you just the way we would have. You've turned out to be an intelligent, courageous, gallant, thoughtful young man who we couldn't be prouder of, Teddy. Every day, Dora and I smile at each other and say, "That's our son," because we never in our wildest dreams could have imagined having a son as astonishing as you. You never cease to amaze us, and we can't wait to see how your life will unfold. But Teddy, always remember that we're here when you need us. Even if we can't be there, we're always there for you. We'll never forget you, ever, and we hope you'll never forget us either, because you're our only son, our only child, and we love you. Your mother and I love you __so__ much, and we hope that you can live a long and fulfilling life without us. We have confidence in you, and we know that you'll be someone great – you were, after all, half-raised by the one and only Harry Potter._

_It's time for me to bid you goodnight, Teddy. I hope to hear from you soon, and I will attempt to reply as soon as James is willing to let this connection go – some people call _me _an overprotective father!_

_Our love always,_

_Mom and Dad_

The boy smiles sadly, wiping an errant tear off of his cheek, and gently puts the parchment down on the table beside his bed. He moves to pick up his quill once more, thinking of a response to write, but a voice calling from downstairs breaks his thoughts before he can utter "Mischief Managed" to clear his one and only link to the father he never met.

"Teddy!" the voice of his godfather calls from downstairs. "Teddy, it's time for dinner!" The boy slowly rises off of his bed, looking back at the parchment resting on his bed, knowing that he will be back to write on it again. He turns as the door opens slowly, and Harry Potter enters the room to see what his charge is up to.

Harry takes one look at the parchment on the bed and the expression on his godson's face, and immediately knows what Teddy was doing. Their eyes meet, understanding linking the two momentarily, before Teddy walks over to the door where Harry is standing. They share a brief smile, Harry nods to his godson, and Teddy leaves to the room to eat dinner with his second family.

Harry watches the younger man leave, then quietly closes the door behind him. He turns his attention to the parchment on the bed, and not wanting to disturb Teddy's privacy, turns the paper over. Silently, he stares at its crumpled, discolored surface as memories of its assistance in his adventures drift through his mind. It had always played a pivotal role in his exploits, but only recently had he discovered that provided the correct input, the Marauders Map become a link between whoever wrote on the parchment and the Marauders themselves. He smiles, remembering the feeling of elation when his father's untidy scrawl filled the page, telling Harry how proud he was. It was exactly how Teddy must be feeling now, Harry thinks.

He stares at it a bit longer, contemplating, then makes up his mind.

He picks up the quill left behind on the bed by Teddy. Harry starts to write on the reverse side of the parchment from Remus Lupin's letter:

_Attn: Mr. Prongs_

_Dear Dad…_

**End**

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Voila! Input is appreciated, but as always never required – let me know how I can make it better!


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